The charting never seemed to stop.After spending the better half of the last
month exploring the expansive Tiyzaen Rift in a sector of the same name, the Majestic
was presently en route to an adjacent sector to observe the accretion disk in a
star system known only as GSC-1014738-B.The name was undoubtedly an injustice to what was most likely an
awe-inspiring phenomenon, but for the time being, Erin Keller didn’t really
care about that injustice.

She had just spent the past six hours reviewing the new
astrometric data with Commander Franklin; prior to that, she wasted two hours
in a meeting with Admiral Harrison debating the outcome of a recent encounter
with a Garidian scout ship.Suffice it
to say, the day had been long, and Keller was more than ready for some rest.

Much to her chagrin, less than an hour into her slumber, the ship
started to rumble.It was an incredibly
faint sound at first—kind of like thunder in the distant sky—and Keller was
more than tempted to ignore it.But as
the moments passed, the rumblings grew more potent until finally, the deck
began to tremble.

And then came the alert klaxon.

Knowing her summons to the bridge was only seconds away, Keller
wearily shoved aside the silky purple covers wrapped around her petite body and
crawled out of bed—affording a few moments of her time to peer out the
window.There was no immediate sign of
an attack; in fact, there was nothing more than the vast and glittering
starfield, prompting Keller to wonder if they were under attack at all…

Her communicator chirped.Keller immediately started for the brooch upon her uniform, but quickly
realized that she removed her jacket before crawling into bed.It was presently on the floor with her
boots—and the cat, a little gray tabby named Fluffy.Keller briefly ran her fingers through the kitten’s soft fur
before plucking her jacket from the floor.“Keller here,” she said, tapping the shiny Starfleet insignia.“What’s up?”

“Captain,” came the calm voice of Za’lon, the Majestic’s
operations officer, “please report to the bridge.We might have a situation developing…”

He didn’t seem too terribly eased by the sentiment.The Majestic’s recent encounter with
the Garidians no doubt had the boy on edge.“It’s not the Garidians again, is it?”

“No.”Za’lon might have
been an enigmatic man, but he wasn’t one to withhold critical information.If the Garidians had been attacking—or even
in the vicinity—he would have said as much.Besides, after that last encounter, Keller very much doubted the
Garidians would attempt to colonize the Tiyzaen Sector anytime in the near
future.“It’s probably just an ion
storm or something,” she summarily guessed.“I’ll let you know when I get back.”

Corey nodded, and started to slink back into his bedroom.

Keller flashed him a reassuring smile.“I love you…”

The sentiment was enough to send any thirteen-year-old into
convulsions, and Corey was no different.He provided his mother with a brief nod and quickly retreated into his
bedroom—where he would no doubt stay until the current situation was resolved.

“Report.”Erin Keller
strode onto the Majestic’s bridge sounding calm and rested; she assumed
she took some sort of nap in the turbolift, because five minutes ago she was
anything but calm and rested.Of
course, in the back of her mind, Keller knew that most of her higher brain
functions were presently operating on sheer adrenaline.The moment the excitement of the situation
began to fade, so too would her energy.

But until then, her attention was focused entirely upon the blocky
little craft on the viewscreen.If it
was a starship, it was easily one of the ugliest designs Keller had ever
seen.It was entirely black, with a
craggy hull that appeared to be a conglomeration of several other
starships.There were three warp
nacelles visible, all of them aglow in green—but aside from that, no windows or
weapons in sight.

“The vessel is of unknown origin,” said Za’lon.He was a tall, pale-skinned Elorg—and a
recent graduate of Starfleet Academy.“However, the energy output is consistent with Yelss technology.”

The very mention of the Yelss gave Erin Keller a moment’s
pause.She had had more than her fair
share of encounters with the gangly quadrupeds over the years, and while they
ultimately proved to be uncertain allies of the Federation during the Drusari
crisis in early 2398, she was still leery of them.Caution was definitely in order.“Yellow alert.”

The lights subsequently dimmed, and a pale golden aura filled the
bridge.Sensing it might take some time
to sort through this situation, Keller assumed her position in the Captain’s
chair.She immediately turned to
Commander Jerras for her opinion.

The Romulan was quick to provide an assessment.“The vessel dropped out of low warp not more
than fifteen minutes ago,” she stated.“It fired a few warning shots across our bow, but that’s about it.According to our sensors, the vessel is
running on minimal power.”

Keller furrowed her brow.“That is certainly an unusual tactic,” she mused.Typically, the Yelss were much more
confrontational.“Are there any life
signs aboard the ship?”

Za’lon checked the sensors.Having spent years manning the operations console aboard the Starlight,
Keller probably knew that the scan was inconclusive even before Za’lon—still, she
said nothing, just in case she was wrong.

She wasn’t, of course.

“There aren’t any life signs aboard the ship,” he confirmed,
“however, I am detecting several very faint bio-signatures in one of the cargo
bays.”

“Stasis?” suggested Keller.

Za’lon nodded.“That would
be my assumption.”

And a logical assumption it was… The Yelss had used stasis
chambers in the past—Keller had been inside of one during the aforementioned
Drusari crisis—so it was certainly possible the ugly little ship on the
viewscreen was some sort of storage facility.Of course, there was only one way to find out: “Beam the stasis chambers
to the cargo bay…”

The Majestic’s cargo bay was somewhat lacking in the cargo
department.Aside from the dozen large
storage containers stacked along the back wall—and the quintet of stasis units
in the center of the room—the expansive chamber was relatively empty.As he strode into the cargo bay, Justin
Reinbold could hear each and every one of his footfalls reverberate throughout
the cavernous chamber.And while the
echoes were certainly amusing for a moment, the Doctor knew he had better
things to do.

He hastily approached Captain Keller and Lieutenant Za’lon.Both of them stood congregated near the row
of large stasis containers; Za’lon was already scanning the individuals inside
with some success: “Two humans, a Trill, and two Yelss.”But since Za’lon was using a standard
tricorder, his analysis of their frozen friends wouldn’t be much more detailed
than that.

Reinbold, on the other hand, was ready for anything.He quickly pulled a sleek medical tricorder
from his belt and started an analysis of his own.“The fun never ends around here, does it?”It was more of a statement than an inquiry,
though he didn’t expect much of a response either way.

“Things are always more interesting when we’re having fun,” mused
Captain Keller as she started to approach the nearest of the five pods.According to Reinbold’s data, it contained
one of the humans, a male.

“All five of them appear to be in good condition,” Reinbold
continued, “though I wouldn’t recommend bringing them out of stasis until we
have a better idea of what’s going on…”

Keller nodded her acknowledgement, but curiosity had long ago
blinded her to any of Reinbold’s comments.She approached the stasis pod without an ounce of hesitation, and gently
brushed aside the thick layer of dust that had accumulated over the eons.She thusly peeked inside, and her jaw hit
the floor about the same time as the newly discarded dust.